Outstanding! This such a good series. The characters are well developed and their interactions realistic. Vera is a complex character. Little personal life and devoted to work. She cares deeply for her staff but tries not to show it. The plot is great. Lots of characters and “who done it” keeps twisting. And a surprise ending beverage speaks of retirement but I hope it is not for many more books b

Ann Cleeves has once again crafted an edge of the seat novel that drives the reader on toward the very last line. Damn, girl. The book begins a tad slowly and contemplatively as we meet cast of characters of a similar age who were moved so strongly by an eventful weekend 50 years earlier organized by their teacher that every 5 years they reunite and relive the closeness created at that earlier time. But this time murder has arrived, and the unraveling of that crime will cause permanent rifts in Vera’s work crew. Never again will things be the same for Vera, her subordinates, and her bosses. The ending will leave the reader breathless wanting to turn yet another page. Onward to the next book in the series. Please! Highly recommend this book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A group of friends have gathered together every five years to reminisce and unwind. When they get together one of them who was a celebrity and was recently fired was found dead. It looked like a suicide. The deceased man's name was Rick and he decided to write a memoir. This book made me think and I was intrigued until the last page.

I so looked forward to this book but I was disappointed. I’m not sure if it’s because I kept reading it with the tv characters in mind or it was not as well crafted as other titles in this series. The story evolved very very slowly (like molasses dripping) and it wasn’t until the last few chapters that the story and action took place. The ending is a blockbuster.

Vera got me again. She is a master at keeping me on edge throughout this book! I didn’t figure it out, although I was brought into her confidence many times! Her deductive reasoning is acute in this tome and her grief is raw, So raw I’m not sure how she will recover. As she intends to grieve and howl to contend her heart she will carry these events into her next cases.

Beautiful narration making the complex details come alive. Read/listen to it you will love how Vera’s story continues on!

As with her previous outings in this series, there is more than meets the eye. Ann Cleeves is a wonder in that she is able to create believable characters and situations and pump out at least a book a year in this and another of her series I'm addicted to. Vera Stanhope is a sort of female Columbo, deceptively vague, but sharp. She also knows how to handle her team, where to place them and what tasks will make the best of their abilities. Here we have an atmospheric setting, a former priory with an intriguing history, and a clutch of septuagenarians reuning as they have for over 50 years every five years. Of course, mayhem ensues. If there is one complaint, there may be a bit too much repetition, but Cleeves constructs her plots with care, looking at every possibility from every angle, and the resolution is satisfactory. I must admit to figuring out the "who" pretty early on, but it is the "why" and "how" that kept me turning pages (metaphorically since I read it on a Kindle).

My wife and I have been fans of the “Vera” TV series and so I was thrilled to read my first Vera book by author Ann Cleeves. Thanks to NetGalley I just completed her latest Vera story entitled “The Rising Tide. “ And this mystery did not disappoint. The written-page Vera is portrayed just like our beloved TV Vera. Still, she and her team need to unravel a murder mystery on Holy Island as one member of a small group of former college friends has been murdered during the group’s reunion —a reunion that occurs every five years. Of course the friends have a lot of secrets that need uncovering, there is an additional historical murder mystery that also occurred on Holy Island and…saying more will spoil your fun as you read “The Rising Tide.”

The Rising Tide is terrific! I'm a longtime fan of the BBC Vera series, but have had trouble getting the books through my local library (the hold waits are very lengthy). So I was delighted to get the ARC of this novel.

If you're new to Vera, jump right in; that this novel is the 10th in a series won't make you feel left behind. Cleeves deftly provides necessary backstory as well as nuances and new twists in the continuing story line (including an ending that surprised me-- and I'm not easily surprised). I particularly appreciated the robust development of characters old and new, the atmospheric setting, quick pacing, layered plot, and the very subtle who-done-it clues. The writing is worth slowing down to savor, but the story makes you want to barrel ahead.

Long live Ann Cleeves and this series! Can't wait for the ones I've missed-- and the ones to come.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I've read all of the books in the Vera Stanhope series, and they keep getting better and better!

In this latest entry, a group of old friends reunites every five years, on Holy Island. They all met in school, and went to a retreat together in high school sponsored by one of their teachers, forming a bond that continued for 50 years. Annie is part owner of a bakery/deli in the town nearest the island, and Dan, her ex-husband and a participant in the retreat and first reunion, is a wealthy developer of nearby luxury holiday camps. Rick is a well known journalist in London, who has recently been fired by the BBC amid accusations of harassment of young women. His ex-wife Charlotte is an ex-model, now running a yoga/life style studio in the nearby town. Philip is now an Anglican vicar in London. Ken is a former schoolmaster, now afflicted with Alzheimers, who is married to Lou, the younger sister of Isabel, who was one of the original participants. Their teacher, Judith Marshall, was in charge of the original retreat, and still ives in the nearby town. While neither Dan nor Charlotte attends the reunions, they are still involved with various members of the original group.

At their first reunion, Isabel died, when she attempted to drive over the causeway connecting the island to the main land after the tide had begun to rise. At each reunion, they ritually commemorate her death, then move on with drinking and eating and catching up with each other.

At this reunion, Rick starts talking about a book he is writing, which will be based on the people there and the events of their first reunion. The next morning, he is found hanging from a beam in his room - an apparent suicide. Vera is called in to investigate, and, needless to say, the death is quickly identified as murder, not suicide. Within a few days, Charlotte is found dead in her yoga studio.

The investigation revolves around both the past and the present - what actually happened at that first reunion, what has happened since then among these participants. There are numerous tangled lines for Vera and her team to follow and resolve, before we finally find out what really happened. I enjoyed a passing reference early on to Murder on the Orient Express, tossing in a nice red herring! I worked my way through suspicions of pretty much everyone involved, but I did not anticipate the ending!

I love this author’s books and Vera is a favourite heroine of mine. There is mystery, murder and enough twists to keep you intrigued throughout this book. The setting on a foggy island gives a great backdrop to the suspense. I did find this book dragged some with not enough of Vera and her work colleagues. The time spent on the suspects seemed to take away some of the momentum of the storyline. Overall it was a good book with some completely unexpected turn of events.

There is no better team than Ann Cleeves and DCI Vera Stanhope.
Four friend reunite at a convent turned guesthouse years after meeting there at a school retreat. When Annie Laidler finds Rick Kelsall’s body hanging from a rafter, enter Vera Stanhope and her Northumbria team as they investigate the islands latest mystery.
Rick had a successful career with the BBC that ended due to sexual misconduct allegations. A book deal was recently sealed and there were no signs that he was suicidal nor was a note found. All signs point to foul play when an autopsy shows that Rick was smothered prior to hanging. It’s up to Vera and company to dig into the surrounding of Rick’s death, question suspects and learn the truth behind Rick’s BBC departure and the book he was about to write,
Vera is thorny, smart and honest. As I’m reading I can see and hear the marvelous Brenda Blethyn as Vera. Cleeves is as clever as can be in her tenth Vera Stanhope book. She provides a mystery with pieces jigsawing throughout a well crafted story. I loved it!
Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur and the wonderful Ann Cleeves for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Ann Cleeves’ latest Vera Stanhope novel is brilliant. The evocative setting with its melancholy landscape is a character in the novel, just as much as the team of detectives DI Vera Stanhope leads in this latest book. In this whodunit, the motive for murder is tangled up in the past and present lives of a group who meet at Holy Island every five years. The group of friends have met for over fifty years, leaving numerous interactions and activities that need to be investigated. Vera and her team must tug at multiple threads to determine the killer’s rationale for murder. I could not guess at who the murderer was from the group of suspects. And the ending killed me.

Full disclosure: I am a longtime fan of Ann Cleeves and her various series. Being able to read the latest Vera Stanhope is a real pleasure for me. This time Vera and her team of Joe, Holly and Charlie do not appear until Chapter 7. The first six chapters give the back stories of the group of friends who have come to Holy Island of Lindisforne for a reunion. Fifty years ago the group first came to the island with their idealistic, young teacher to participate in a retreat called Only Connect. Every five years since then they have reassembled despite the death of one of the group during the first reunion. Isobel, the victim, was swept out to sea while crossing the causeway that connects the island to the countryside. Another member of the group, Daniel, no longer attends due to his divorce from Annie though she continues to participate. Philip, a vicar, arrives first and is looking forward to seeing his longtime friend Rick, a disgraced TV personality. Ken, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, is married to Louisa (sister to the deceased Isobel) and arrive with their dog. Charlotte, Rick's former wife, is also part of the original school group.

Secrets abound and the back stories of the characters are quite complex. The action becomes even more complicated when Rick is found hanging from a beam in his room the first morning of the reunion. It soon becomes apparent that this is no suicide and Vera is called back to work despite being off for the weekend. When it comes to light that Rick was writing a tell-all book based on the reunion friends Vera begins to wonder if Isobel's death all those years ago is somehow connected to Rick's. The investigation if further complicated by Joe and Holly angling for Vera's approval as well as political pressure from Vera's superiors.

The story if filled with red herrings that keep the reader guessing. There is also a bombshell of a surprise that leaves Vera and her team reeling. It is a complex, satisfying mystery in this long-running series. Ann Cleeves continues to produce excellent mysteries which I continue to enjoy and recommend to other readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the chance to read one of my favorite authors latest.

Those who read author Ann Cleeves regularly will not be disappointed. Those who have never read her before will be pleased to have found her. This Vera Stanhope works very well. Even if you have not encountered these people before, you get to know them and the way they work in her latest mystery The Rising Tide. A group of friends meet every five years on Holy Island for a renunion - this being the 50th year. And this year there is a murder. The feel and details about the Northumberland region are fascinating - you learn more about Vera and what makes her tick. As a regular reader of her you enjoy the insights, as a newcomer you welcome them. I love when you can pick up a book in the middle of a series and want to read more instead of feeling left out. This really works here. But don't relax if you're a regular reader. Longtime characters are not safe from harm. My jaw actually physically dropped at the end. And now I have to wait for the next Vera Stanhope.

"She had, in the past, been mistaken for a bag lady. And recently at Rede's Tower as a cleaner." Maybe so, but never underestimate Vera Stanhope's exceptional skills at solving crimes , Ann Cleeve's unique and enthralling writing and her authentic characters scored another grand slam. The Rising Tide is one of the best in the Vera Stanhope series. Her team and the plot follow Vera's sharp instincts for detail as they solve a murder in a unique setting. The access to Holy Island is based on the tides. When the tide is high, the causeway becomes awash with the rushing tide, making crossing impossible. The atmosphere takes on a surreal feeling which adds to the plot; that interweaves the present with the back stories of the characters and suspects. Evey Ann Cleeve's book I have read is a treasure. The Rising Tide is a diamond. If a police procedural with a roller-coaster plot, deeply realistic characters and an unpredictable ending are what you are looking for. Pickup this or any Ann Cleeves book. Five bright shining stars. Thank you Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley #TheRisingTide

Another Hit for VERA!
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press and Minotaur Books Brenda Blethynfor the ARC in exchange for a honest review. Expected publication date is 9/6/2022.
This mystery involves a group of friends who were teenage school mates and have maintained a relationship over a lifetime including reunions on a most intriguing island setting in Northumbria. At the latest reunion a murder occurs and Vera and the team are on it!
I loved the description of the setting. The plot was so intriguing with lots of twists and turns. The characters were well developed and vivid. Holly became much more of a fleshed out character in this book for me. I really enjoy how Ann Cleeves portrays Vera and the continuing relationship between Vera and Joe is also great to follow. It is very easy to imagine this as part of the series with Brenda Blethyn. One of the things I love most about the Vera series is that each can truly be a stand alone or read out of order.
Highly recommended for all Vera and PBS mystery fans, a really well plotted and intriguing mystery story!

The Rising Tide is the perfect "who dun it". The story is great; a group of school mates meet once every five years for a long weekend to catch up and brag about their lives. This year all goes wrong, and there is a death or two. The cast of characters are believable and determined friends and classmates. The sifting through the past and how it interferes with the present is a circle of surprises. I loved the story and characters! Thank you @NetGalley@MinotaurBooks@TheRisingTide

For fifty years a group of friends have been meeting regularly for reunions on Holy Island, celebrating the school trip where they met, and the friend that they lost to the rising causeway tide five years later. Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now. As with most Vera stories, this one is dark and full of sadness along with mystery. She and her usual crew dig through layers of history and secrets to root out the killer. As with all the Ann Cleeves, this book was brilliant. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Latest installment in the Vera Stanhope Series. Highly recommend for fans of Ann Vleeves, and for new readers. A cozy police-procedural, with keen insights into human motivations.